Province to Revitalize Former Sysco Site with New Sports Field

Land from the former Sydney Steel plant is being given a new life as a sports field in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

The province is providing the land and investing $400,000 to build the field. Murray Scott, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, and Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor John Morgan made the announcement today, June 25, at a sod-turning ceremony at the Harbourside Commercial Park in Sydney.

"This is an exciting day for the people of Sydney," said Mr. Scott. "The new sports field represents the province's ongoing commitment to revitalizing the former Sysco site."

Nova Scotia Lands Incorporated, a provincial Crown corporation established to manage the environmental cleanup on the former steel plant site, is providing the land for the sports field. When the project is complete, the municipality will have control of the sports field.

"This new facility will be a great addition to our community," said Mr. Morgan. "We are pleased to see this site will be used to promote healthy living."

The money used to build the sports field will come from a fund established to decommission the Sysco plant and remediate the site. Construction of the new sports field is expected to be finished in the fall.

As parts of the former Sysco steel plant site are remediated, they are transferred to Harbourside Commercial Park Incorporated, a provincial Crown corporation established by the province in April.